Raid
by TwilightBoi23
Summary: When Jared's group comes back from a raid, they bring something unexpected-a kid. The kid is afraid of everyone, but takes an immediate liking to Jamie. Can Jamie get the poor kid to trust everyone else? Rated T for future content.
1. Ethan

_**I do not own The Host or any characters from the novel. They belong to Stephenie Meyer. I don't know how well this is going to turn out, but hopefully it'll be worth your time. This takes place after the end of The Host, but I'm not writing about the other group that they encountered at the end. They went off somewhere…that's my excuse, anyways.**_

Jared, Ian, Kyle, Melanie, and Wanda had all been gone for five days on a raid, so when they returned Jeb had allowed everyone to take a break from their chores to greet the group. Right now, everyone was in the kitchen as the raiders were putting up the stock of items they had grabbed.

Kyle walked in first, shaking his head as he sat down next to Sunny, kissing her on the cheek. Ian walked in next with Wanda, and then Melanie and Jared walked in…along with another person. Standing somewhat behind Melanie was a small, 11 year old boy. Jeb raised an eyebrow, unable to recall ever asking them to bring back a kid.

Wanda looked around the room and noticed everyone's reaction, "No, he isn't a soul. We found him hiding behind a large Dumpster. He hasn't talked to us at all, so that's all we know."

The room began to fill with murmuring after Wanda explained what little she could about the mystery guest. Jared let out a sigh, "Hey! Guys, he's not a soul…that much we do know. Wanda heard him crying when she walked out of the store. What were we going to do, leave him there? Even Kyle said we couldn't do that."

"Hey!" Kyle spoke up, "I'm not heartless," he noticed everyone staring at him, "Okay, so the thing with Wanda was pretty heartless but, come on. Her kind had invaded our planet, it's not like any of you weren't thinking the same thing."

Everyone's faces became filled with guilt as they nodded in agreement. Jeb stood up, "Now, this isn't a question of anyone's guilt. I'm sure that we can squeeze him in someplace."

"Jeb, no offense. I mean, you know that I would have probably taken the kid in too if it was a normal situation, but we sure as hell didn't accept Wanda so quickly…"

Wanda let out a sigh, unable to identify the voice. It was probably Aaron, "The difference is very clear, though. He isn't a soul. He's as human as all of you."

"Then why is he being so quiet?"

"What is this, a trial?" Jamie asked suddenly. Nobody had noticed that he was standing in the back corner of the room, his arms crossed. He looked at the kid, who actually gave him a small smile. He returned it before becoming serious again, "Why is he being quiet? Gee, he was hiding behind a Dumpster, alone, then got picked up by a bunch of strangers and taken to a cave where the rest of the strange people start bickering about him. Wouldn't you be scared, too?"

Jeb nodded, "Exactly. Kid, why don't you take…the kid, and help get him cleaned up, huh? I'm sure that he'd enjoy feeling clean again."

Everyone gasped and Melanie rolled her eyes, "We got real soap, people."

Jamie snickered as he walked up to his sister and Jared and nodded to them. He then knelt down to the kid's level and smiled, "You wanna get away from these silly old people and get cleaned up?"

The kid's eyes grew, and Jamie stepped back to give him space. Then, the kid shyly nodded and held out his hand. Jamie, still smiling, took it and slung the kid over onto his back and piggybacked him to the bathing cave.

Kyle sighed, "Guys, the kid isn't in question, here. He's safe, he's good. We can fit him in, just like Jeb said. Wanda even went back inside and got some clothes for him."

Jeb spoke up again as the room filled with raised voices, "My decision is the final word. It's my house, my rules. The kid stays until he's proven a danger to us all."

Jared nodded in agreement, "Thank you."

Jeb shook his head, "I'm not finished. Since you al brought him here, he's your responsibility."

"Jeb," Kyle said, "How could we possibly do that if he won't even talk to us?"

Ian shrugged, "Well, he was less hesitant to go with Jamie than he was to go with us. Maybe we let Jamie break down his walls."

"You make it sound like it's a war," Melanie said.

Jared wrapped his arm around her waist, "It is. It's a child's war…"

~~~~~~~*-----------*~~~~~~~~~~~~~---------

"Okay, here's the soap. Your clean clothes are right here. I'm gonna leave the lantern so you can see. I'll just go wait for you outside, k? Give you some privacy," Jamie said as he gently ruffled the kid's hair before starting to walk away.

"Please don't…you can stay. I don't mind."

Jamie stopped dead in his tracks and turned around, "What?" he asked, surprised.

The kid looked down shyly, "I said, it's alright if you stay. You won't hurt me, right?"

Jamie laughed softly and nodded, "Of course I'm not going to hurt you. Nobody here is."

The kid shrugged shyly as he lowered himself into the river. Jamie sat by the edge, "Be careful, the floor fell in a little ways away."

The boy nodded as he began to soap himself up. Jamie felt a little awkward, considering he didn't know the kid and he never really sat in there while another person was bathing. But, the kid was finally opening up to someone, so he decided to just deal with it, "So…you must have been pretty scared when Wanda found you, huh/"

The boy stopped, seeming to think about the question. He then nodded, "Yeah…I guess. My parents went to the hospital and when they came back they were…different. So I ran away and just hid behind that Dumpster."

"How long were you hiding?"

The boy shrugged, "I don't know. Maybe four…five days, tops. I was really thirsty when Wanda found me." His stomach growled as if to add emphasis.

Jamie nodded, hearing his stomach, "Well, after you're done we'll see if they've cleared out of the kitchen. Even if they're there, I'll grab you something to eat, k?"

The boy nodded, "Thank you."

Jamie shrugged, "No need to thank me. About time someone around here was younger than me."

The boy laughed, "You're funny."

Jamie smirked at that, glad he was getting the boy to talk, "That's what they call me. Actually, they call me Jamie. What's your name?"

The boy let out a sigh as he sat in the water for a bit, "Ethan."

Jamie smiled and held out his hand, "Nice to meet you, Ethan."

Ethan smiled and shook his hand, but then tugged on it. Jamie, who wasn't expecting it, was suddenly pulled into the river. He came up and laughed, "You little brat!" He started to splash him.

Ethan laughed, "Got you!"

"Oh, yeah?" Jamie asked confidently, "That shows how much you know about me." He laughed and dunked the kid in the water. Ethan laughed until he went underwater, then he came back up for air and continued his laughter.

"Jamie, you in here?" Jared asked.

Jamie calmed down a bit, "Yeah!"

Jared walked in and stopped, "Wow…"

Jamie started laughing, "What? He pulled me in. It's all out war now," he said, innocently.

Jared laughed and shook his head, "Jamie, I talked with Jeb and Melanie…and we've all agreed on two things. One, the kid seems to have taken a liking to you and two, you are always talking about wanting responsibility. Well, here's your chance. We'll help you, but until he's comfortable with all of us, we thought it'd be better if you watched out for him more. Kind of like that big brother program you had at your school that one year."

Jamie nodded, "Sure, I have no problem with that. How about you, Ethan?" Jamie knew how much he hated it when other people would make decisions for him just because he was younger. Ethan had a mind of his own.

Ethan shrugged, "I don't know. If it's the right thing."

Jamie ruffled his hair, "Alright, it's settled, then. You hungy?"

Ethan nodded.

"Good. You get dressed and I'll wait for you outside, alright?"

Jared walked out and Ethan looked at Jamie, "Can't you just…turn around?"

Jamie furrowed his eyebrows, "Why? What's the matter?"

Ethan blushed, "I'm kind of…sort of…afraid of the dark."

Jamie cocked an eyebrow and nodded, "Oh. Right. Yeah, that would explain it. Sure, I can do that."

Jared walked back in with some clothes, "Here, Jamie. Figured you might need them."

The teen nodded, "Thanks."

Jared patted his shoulder and then walked back out. Jamie got out of the river and over towards the darkness, where the lantern's light couldn't reach him. He got dressed, while Ethan got out and did the same by the river. When he was done, he walked over and tugged on Jamie's shirt. Jamie looked down and smiled, piggybacking Ethan to the kitchen.

Everyone except for Kyle, Wanda, and Sunny were gone. Jamie thought Jeb had probably put everyone back to work. Jamie nodded at the two of them, "Okay, Ethan. What are you in the mood for? Bread, soup or…whatever this gooey gunk is?"

Wanda gasped, "It's mashed potatoes!"

Kyle laughed, "I think it's more mash than potatoes."

Jamie smirked and got Ethan some bread. Ethan hopped down from Jamie's back and sat down at the table. Sunny smiled, "Hello, I'm Sunny."

Ethan saw Sunny and leaned back in his seat. Jamie, noticing the sudden tension, put his hand on Ethan's shoulder, "It's okay. Sunny and Wanda are friends. They aren't going to hurt you. Everyone else is normal, ok?"

Sunny seemed hurt at Jamie referring to her as not normal, and Jamie looked apologetically at her. She smiled and whispered something to Kyle, then got up and left the room. Wanda fumbled nervously, "Okay, well, I'm going to give you all some space and go see if Ian needs help with anything."

Kyle laughed, "Wanda, you're not in Mel's body anymore. You can't do much lifting."

She scoffed, "Well, I would if people would start to let me do some lifting every once in a while." After spending time with the humans, she learned that it was okay to have an attitude sometimes. They were rubbing off on her, but not completely. She looked at him apologetically and excused herself.

Ethan stared at the table as he silently ate. Kyle looked at him, "You like soccer?"

Ethan raised an eyebrow, "You play soccer?"

Kyle laughed, "We're an athletic bunch."

Jamie laughed, "Yeah, that's true. Is that where everyone's at?"

Kyle nodded. Jamie smiled as he looked at Ethan, who was finished eating, "Wanna go watch some soccer?"

Ethan shook his head quickly. He figured out that most of the place was filled with caves. Caves meant darkness, which meant he wasn't going anywhere near them if he could help it. Jamie understood and nodded, "Alright. Kyle, get some lanterns."

"We got plenty in there."

Jamie shot him a look, "Kyle…"

Kyle shuddered. He knew the wrath of Jared and Melanie. He was afraid to ever see Jamie's…if he even had any. Being around those two, he figured the kid was bound to pick up something. He stood up and left.

Jamie smiled at Ethan, "Trust me, it won't be dark, ok? If all the lanterns don't help then we'll just sit by the entrance and watch, k?"

Ethan nodded again, "Okay."

~~~~~~~~~*-------------*~~~~~~~~~~~----------

The sun had gone down a few hours earlier, and Jamie, Ethan, Jared, Melanie, Wanda, and Ian were all sitting in the kitchen. Ethan was sitting on Jamie's lap, his head resting on the older boy's shoulder. Wanda knew Jamie was enjoying being the older brother figure to Ethan. He was no longer the young, innocent boy. He was the role model, Ethan's own Jared.

Jamie yawned, "Ugh, I'm wiped. We gotta find you somewhere to sleep, kiddo?"

Melanie shrugged, "Well, you could share your bed with him like we used to. Or get him a mattress and stick it on the ground. Unless if there's someone else he trusts?"

Jamie shrugged, "I'll see if I can find a mattress tomorrow. Come on, kiddo." He stood up and carefully carried Ethan to the room, trying not to wake him.

As he walked away, Melanie looked at the others, "Are you sure we should be leaving it all up to Jamie? Isn't he a bit young to have so much responsibility?"

Jared looked at her, "Mel, he had a lot more when we'd run before you were taken. Besides, we're still going to help him. We aren't pawning the kid off on him, we're just letting him help Ethan to get used to us before we start taking up more of the responsibility."

Wanda nodded, "Jamie isn't complaining. He always wanted to have a big chore like everyone else besides school. Why not allow him to feel like an older brother?"

_**Okay, I'm going to end the first chapter here. Please review and tell me what you think. It'll be less boring later, promise.**_


	2. You're Gonna Have To Shoot Me, Too

_**Chapter two, and after, I will have character's thoughts in there and they will be in italics. Also, at the beginning of this chapter, we see a dream and it'll be in italics as well, since it is in the mind. I do not own The Host, or any characters from the book. I do own Ethan…in a not weird way.**_

_Ethan was laughing, running through the park. His dad was following behind him, his mother staying behind with a smile plastered on her face. He laughed when his father wrapped his arms around him and pulled him up, twirling him around._

"_Daddy!" He giggled furiously._

_He kicked around, trying to free himself from the tickling that his father was lashing out. Suddenly, he found himself sitting on the swing set, reaching higher and higher with each swing. He laughed happily, feeling the breeze slide through his hair._

_When he swung up again, he let go of the swing and closed his eyes. He smiled, spreading his arms out like an eagle as he faced up towards the sky. He felt like he was flying, and he was a bird. He giggled some more when he felt himself crash into a warm body._

_He opened his eyes, smiling up at his dad. The sun shone in his father's face, and he felt his smile fade. His father had silver rings in his eyes. Ethan widened his eyes in horror, "Ah!"_

"_What's the matter, son?"_

_Ethan sobbed, trying to wiggle free, "Let me go! I want my real daddy!"_

_He fell to the ground and shot up, running away from the man who was once his father. He ignored his cries as he continued to sob, trying to jog as fast as his little legs would let him. _

_He felt two extremely warm hands grab his shoulders and gently shake him. He let out a scream, "No! Let me go! Let me go! Let me-"_

"_Ethan!"_

_The voice sounded familiar, but Ethan continued to shake his head, "Let me go!!!!" He kept screaming and crying._

"Will someone shut that kid up? God, where's the chloroform?" Kyle asked, walking into the room.

"I'm trying!" Jamie said, panic clear in his voice. He continued to gently shake Ethan, "Ethan…come on, buddy. Ethan!"

Ethan's eyes and mouth shot open. He gasped and then followed it with a loud scream. Kyle covered his ears, "Jesus Christ! What did we pick up, a friggin' banshee?!"

Jamie rolled his eyes, ignoring Kyle as he looked at Ethan, "Ethan! It's okay! It's me, Jamie. You're fine."

Ethan looked up at Jamie, horrorstruck, "You're one of them!"

Jamie shook his head, "No, I'm not. Look," he turned around and grabbed a flashlight. He turned it on and held it to his eyes, "See? No rings. I'm human, like you."

Tears formed in Ethan's eyes, building up until they flooded over and slid down his cheeks. He sniffled as he tried to hold in his sobs, "My daddy was one of them…"

Kyle shook his head, "Uh-uh. He's yours." He quickly walked away, wanting nothing to do with crying kids. Jamie shook his head, unable to think of what to do to help calm Ethan down.

Ethan continued to sob as he pulled his feet in and wrapped his arms around his legs. Jamie let out a soft sigh and moved to sit beside the upset boy. He pulled Ethan into his chest, holding him as he sobbed, "It's okay, buddy…everything's okay. You're safe."

Ethan sniffled, "You don't understand! My daddy was one of them…and he tried to get me!"

Jamie let out a soft sigh, pulling Ethan in a little closer, "I understand completely, Ethan. My dad became one of them…and led them right back to us. They got our mom, and Mel and I ran. I couldn't grab anything, we just ran. In a matter of moments, we went from having a family and a home to having nothing but each other."

Ethan looked up at him through his bloodshot eyes, "You're only trying to make me feel like I'm not alone."

Jamie laughed, "Actually, I really am telling you the truth. That's the one thing you can always predict about me-I'm not going to lie to you. Why don't you take a breather and calm yourself down and then we can go get something to eat, alright?"

Ethan shrugged away and shrunk into himself. Jamie groaned, "Ethan…you can't just sit here and wait for them to leave. In this place, you get it while you can, otherwise you won't get anything at all. I want you to be comfortable, but you can't stay here and avoid everyone forever, ask Wanda."

"But you're the only one I know."

Jamie nodded, "True, but you also know Wanda, Ian, Kyle, Jared, and Mel in a sense…you're familiar with them. If you're afraid of people being mean to you, then I suggest talking with Wanda, Ian, and Mel. Jared's never had much patience with anything and Kyle's, well...I can't really describe him with you in the room. Let's just leave it at that. So, take a few moments and I'll wait for you outside." Jamie smiled and ruffled the boy's hair before he got off of the bed and walked out of the room to give him some privacy.

A few minutes later, Ethan poked his head out, "You can go on without me."

Jamie laughed, "Haha, nuh-uh, little man. I'm not falling for that one."

Ethan pursed his lips and sighed, "I promise that I will go."

Jamie bit his lip, "Okay, I'll trust you. If you're not in there in ten minutes, I'm coming to get you. Just walk right down this…hall and make a left. Then, you'll see a big opening on the right-that's the kitchen, ok?"

Ethan nodded, "Got it."

Jamie smiled and placed his hand on Ethan's chin, wiping some of the old tears away, "Make sure you don't have any tears on your face, otherwise you'll be interrogated by a bunch of people."

Ethan raised an eyebrow, "What's that?"

Jamie snickered, "You'll get a lot of attention that you don't want. Remember, ten minutes," He held up all of his fingers and mouthed the word 'ten' before turning and heading to the kitchen. Ethan sat back down on his bed and exhaled again, thinking about his father.

Jamie was walking to the kitchen when he heard people talking loudly. He stopped, listening in,

"He's what?!" Sharon asked, bewildered.

Jamie could hear Melanie let out a sigh, "Tobias said that he's gay."

Jamie's eyes grew. Tobias was a seventeen year old from the group of rebels that Jared and the group had met on a raid. He was the only one who stayed behind because he had broken his ankle and couldn't maneuver too well.

"What is 'gay'?" Wanda asked quietly to Ian, but loud enough that Jamie could hear it. The teenager snickered, trying not to let himself burst into laughter.

"We can't let that pansy stay here, Jeb!" Maggie said, "He'll do us no good."

Jamie rolled his eyes. He had hung out with Tobias a lot when he had stayed with them, because he was closest to Jamie's age. Jamie thought that he was actually pretty cool.

"Now, hold up there, Maggie. We're not going to just throw the boy out!" Jeb said.

"If you don't, I will take your gun and shoot him myself."

Jamie clenched his fists and felt the anger rise inside of him. Tobias was his friend, and he needed to do something. He couldn't stay and listen to it anymore. He clenched his jaw and walked in, "If you shoot him, then you're going to have to shoot me, too."

Maggie raised an eyebrow and crossed her arms, looking at Jamie, as did the rest of the room, "And why is that?"

Jamie looked at everyone and noticed Tobias was sitting in the back corner. They had the nerve to say all of that with him right in the room? What the hell? "Because," He said blatantly, "Because…Tobias is my friend, and if you're going to shoot him, then you're going to have to shoot me, too."

Maggie blinked a few times, surprised, "Oh, really?"

"Yes, really," Jamie said with his newfound strength. He walked across the room and pulled Tobias up with his hand. He turned back to everyone, "Tobias has been nothing but kind to all of you since he got here. He hasn't brought trouble of any kind and you're all just itching for an excuse to bring up trouble, so you chose to pick on him because he's sly? So what? He likes boys, doesn't mean he's going to be hitting on any of us! You had no trouble with him until you found out…so one can't help but wonder if you'd have the same trouble with anyone else."

Melanie raised an eyebrow, "Jamie…what are you getting at?"

Jamie let out a sigh, unable to hold back anymore. He couldn't believe that he was about to do this, because it was a total lie, but he felt the need to do it. For Tobias, his friend, "Because I love Tobias. And if you have a problem with him, then you have a problem with me. So, if you do have a problem with that…then get out of my face because I'm hungry and I'm not too keen on the idea of eating while your beady eyes are all boring into me."

Sharon and Maggie walked out, but everyone else stayed where they were. Jamie turned to Tobias and checked him over to make sure he was still okay and not catatonic, "You okay?"

He nodded, "Y-yeah, I'm fine."

Jamie whispered to him, "Help me with the field today, ok?"

Tobias nodded and sat back down. Jamie sat down next to him and smiled when he saw Ethan walk in. He waved him over and looked at Tobias, "You're gonna be okay, man."

Tobias nodded as Ethan took a seat. Jamie ruffled the kid's hair again, "Tobias, this is Ethan. Ethan, this is my best friend, Tobias."

Ethan waved slightly, "This bread isn't that bad…"

Jamie smirked, "Trust me, after a while your opinion will change. Wanda said she's going to watch you while I work today, alright?"

Ethan shrugged as he chewed another piece of bread, "I don't need a babysitter."

Jamie smirked, knowing the feeling, but he knew that it was for the best, though. He ruffled Ethan's hair, "Yes, you do. You can get lost in these tunnels, Ethan, and you're afraid of the dark."

Ethan let out a sigh, "What does sly mean?"

Jamie's eyes grew. He didn't think that Ethan had heard it, and was surprised that he was so nobchalant about it, "It means…he's smart about stuff. He can sneak things, sort of." He didn't have the heart to tell him that the sly he meant was 'gay'.

Ethan raised an eyebrow and nodded, "Uh…huh. Interesting."

Jamie laughed, looking over at Tobias, who had a confused and panicked look on his face. Jamie straightened up in his seat, "Ethan, we're going to get to work, ok? Come on, Tobias."

The two teens stood up and walked out of the kitchen and out to the field. Jamie was unusually quiet, which Tobias took note of.

"Jamie…why are you being so quiet?"

Jamie stopped and let out a heavy sigh, closing his eyes as he tried to think. He didn't know why he had told everyone that he loved Tobias, because he wasn't really attracted to boys, but he just felt the urge to. He hoped that Tobias didn't like him in that way so that it wouldn't have hurt him. He bit his bottom lip as he spoke hesitantly, "Tobias…what I said in the kitchen…I…it wasn't completely true. If they want to shoot you, I will definitely stand in their way, always trust that. But…I don't…I'm not attracted to guys. I don't know why I told them that I was."

Tobias nodded and patted Jamie on the back, "It's cool, man. You were right-I'm not going to hit on anyone here. Nobody's clean-cut enough."

Jamie laughed, "Yeah, well maybe that's because we're all too busy working in the World of Dirt."

Tobias shrugged, "Maybe. Look, thanks for standing up for me, Jamie. Really, it means a lot to me."

Jamie straightened up at that and smiled proudly. He felt like the hold Jamie when he was around Tobias. Ever since Ethan came, he had to be responsible. Yes, Ethan had only really been there a day, but Jamie couldn't stand being _that _responsible all the time. He was pulled out of his stupor when a small clog of dirt hit him in the cheek. He gasped slightly and looked at Tobias, who was snickering while attempting to act innocent. Jamie smirked and kicked some dirt up at him, "You loser!"

Tobias' eyes grew, "Hey!" He laughed and kicked dirt back at Jamie. When the two teens were finished, they were covered from head to toe in dirt, and were still laughing hard.

~~~~~~~~*-*~~~~~~~~~

After they had finished their chores, Jamie and Tobias were sitting down, looking out at what they had done. Jamie smiled and looked at Tobias, "Why don't we go get cleaned up and maybe I'll look more like your type?"

Tobias laughed, "I need a bath…definitely. I'll go after you."

Jamie rolled his eyes, "We've bathed at the same time before when we were on a rushed schedule. I really don't care, it's not like we can see anything anyways."

Tobias stared at Jamie, "Okay, if you don't like me, then why do you want us to bathe together so bad, you weirdo?" He laughed.

Jamie shrugged, "Well, I think that they had some nerve to be talking about you like that while you're sitting in the back as if you don't even exist. I meant what I said when nothing's changed besides knowing about you now. I want to prove it to you and everyone else. You're probably my best friend here-aside from my sister, Wanda, and Jared."

Tobias shook his head, "Don't worry about it, Jamie. I'm fine, alright?"

Jamie exhaled sharply, "Dude, if I can sit in the room with an 11 year old boy bathing without it being awkward, I think I can handle bathing with a gay guy, who I've bathed with before, without it being awkward."

Jamie truly wanted to prove to Tobias that he honestly didn't care. He actually thought that it was cool, in a way. It made Tobias more special, what made him stand out from the rest. In case if nobody noticed, Jamie was attracted to that type of people. He instantly befriended Wanda, and he hated to say it like this, but she was a worm. So, he was perfectly fine to be friends with worms, but not with a guy who happened to want to kiss other guys? It wasn't going to work like that.

_**Okay, that is Chapter 2. I know it's a little strange, but I have a plan that I want to do with this. I think it shows how mature Jamie can be, but Jamie is my favorite character in The Host, so I needed to be able to have some outlet for him to be himself since he has to be mature with Ethan. So, instead of him always hanging with Wanda or Mel and having to worry about keeping everyone in character…I figured I'd make one up. In future chapters he'll be like himself around Tobias, so please let me know what you think and what you think Jamie and Tobias' relationship should be. Do you think there should be drama and a fight? A brother-like relationship? Basically, I want feedback, haha. So, please review? Thank you!**_


End file.
